Woodlawn Avenue man convicted of gun charge

A Woodlawn Avenue man faces up to 15 years in prison when he’s sentenced next month after being convicted Friday on a charge of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon in connection with an April 2012 incident on Johnson Street, according Erie County District Attorney Frank A. Sedita III.

Jovan Barksdale, 33, was found guilty of hiding a loaded and stolen .380 handgun on the porch of a Johnson Street house about 10 a.m. on April 3, 2012, shortly after Buffalo Police officers responded to a 911 call complaining of two men with guns.

Barksdale struggled with police when they attempted to apprehend him, Sedita reported.

At trial, Barksdale did not testify or call any defense witnesses. The attorney representing him, Sedita said, suggested to the jury in his closing remarks that the district attorney “zealously over-prosecutes cases.”

Barksdale, who has four prior felony convictions including for attempted robbery and drug charges, was convicted as charged in this case following the week-long jury trial before Erie County Court Judge Kenneth F. Case.